@rphb I like how you state that people of different cultures or whatever would have trouble trusting one another, because that's not my experience at all. When I meet someone of a wholly different cultural background, say an Indian, Korean, Somalian or whathaveyou, I don't trust them less than a native Dutch person by default as long as they seem friendly. The cultural differences actually give us things to learn from each other, opportunities to look at things from each other's perspectives, and reconsider (and possibly reject or reinforce) beliefs we've been rooted in for all our lives... Doesn't sound like a weakness to me.
Of course it's not all positive, mainly because some cultures promote distrust and the seeking of conflict. I believe the Moroccan culture is notorious for this in our country, and many people feel threatened by Moroccans, because they constantly raise their voice to sound angry or something. I also heard once that people of different races have trouble reading each other's faces, which only contributes to the threatening sensation, because otherwise we might be able to tell by their faces that they really don't mean it that aggressively. Guess there's something in your distrust theory after all. On the other hand, the threatening sensation vanishes instantly if you greet them and they greet you back.
Language is also something that should genuinely be the same, because when people in my country are speaking a language I don't understand I will often feel locked out and wonder if they're talking about me behind my back.
Not everyone may experience things the same way I do, but I think I'm at least reasonably representative. Except maybe for people who have been taught to fear or despise everything that's different from them.
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@rphb I like how you state that people of different cultures or whatever would have trouble trusting one another, because that's not my experience at all. When I meet someone of a wholly different cultural background, say an Indian, Korean, Somalian or whathaveyou, I don't trust them less than a native Dutch person by default as long as they seem friendly. The cultural differences actually give us things to learn from each other, opportunities to look at things from each other's perspectives, and reconsider (and possibly reject or reinforce) beliefs we've been rooted in for all our lives... Doesn't sound like a weakness to me.
Of course it's not all positive, mainly because some cultures promote distrust and the seeking of conflict. I believe the Moroccan culture is notorious for this in our country, and many people feel threatened by Moroccans, because they constantly raise their voice to sound angry or something. I also heard once that people of different races have trouble reading each other's faces, which only contributes to the threatening sensation, because otherwise we might be able to tell by their faces that they really don't mean it that aggressively. Guess there's something in your distrust theory after all. On the other hand, the threatening sensation vanishes instantly if you greet them and they greet you back.
Language is also something that should genuinely be the same, because when people in my country are speaking a language I don't understand I will often feel locked out and wonder if they're talking about me behind my back.
Not everyone may experience things the same way I do, but I think I'm at least reasonably representative. Except maybe for people who have been taught to fear or despise everything that's different from them.